Numerous attempts have been made to improve pet kennel apparatuses, including changing the dimensions and locations of the door to accommodate small areas in which a pet and its kennel may need to reside for a period of time each day.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved kennel with a door-sliding apparatus.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related:
U.S. Pat. No. 8,550,277 B2, issued in the name of Grönholm;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,212, issued in the name of Amann;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,728, issued in the name of May;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,509, issued in the name of Dillon;
U.S. Patent Application no. 2016/0135428 A1, published in the name of Nicholson;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,606, issued in the name of Ondrasik, II; and
U.S. Pat. No. 8,613,260 B2, issued in the name of Veness et al.
This application presents claims and embodiments that fulfill a need or needs not yet satisfied by existing products, inventions and methods previously or presently available or disclosed. In particular, the claims and embodiments disclosed herein describe a kennel door apparatus, the apparatus comprises a pair of first support brackets mounted to a kennel frame; an first door hinge comprising an first door hinge bore aligned with each one of the first support bracket bores; an first guide rail intermediately disposed between the pair of first support bracket bores and disposed through the first door hinge bore; a pair of second support brackets mounted to a kennel frame, wherein each one of the second support brackets comprises a second support bracket bore; a second door hinge comprising a second door hinge bore aligned with the second support bracket bores; a second guide rail intermediately disposed between the pair of second support bracket bores and disposed through the second door hinge bore; and a door support coupled with the first door hinge and the second door hinge, the kennel door apparatus providing unanticipated and nonobvious combination of features distinguished from the products, inventions and methods preexisting in the art. The applicant is unaware of any product, device, method, disclosure or reference that discloses the features of the claims and embodiments disclosed herein, and as more fully described below.